


if not for yes, we wouldn't be here

by bummerang



Category: RWBY
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-23
Updated: 2017-12-23
Packaged: 2019-02-19 09:06:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,700
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13120563
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bummerang/pseuds/bummerang
Summary: It starts with the park.(In which Qrow tries really hard, but the peanut gallery is too strong.)





	if not for yes, we wouldn't be here

**Author's Note:**

> OzQrow Secret Santa fic for thisshipiscanon @ tumblr
> 
> Heey, probably not what you were hoping for as an answer to your prompt, but I was going and this kinda got away from me. I hope you find it at least somewhat enjoyable, and I hope you have a good holiday!

It was always the park.

They'd met there. Six years ago, Frog Pond in December. He'd been freezing his ass off almost literally, because he kept falling and sliding his jean-covered butt across ice. He couldn't fucking skate worth a damn and Summer just wouldn't give up.

Not even when he'd collided with the same person three times over every single time he dared to pick up a little speed and ended up losing control, because _of course_ he would. But the stranger had been weirdly patient where anybody else would rightfully have been all _are you fucking with me_? After being knocked over the ice for the fourth time, the stranger had waved off more of Qrow's apologies and genially offered to skate with him to avoid any more accidents. This hadn't worked. Qrow had kept falling and took Ozpin with him frequently. It probably should have told him something that Ozpin didn't seem to mind.

Come to think of it, Summer had disappeared pretty quickly after his third fall.

Qrow hadn't expected to see him again after that, and sure as hell wouldn't have asked him out. Guy was nice, hot as fuck, and the ground he walked on was probably too good for Qrow. It had taken Summer about two minutes of careful emphasis and yelling to convince him that he was a dumb ass and that Ozpin had been casting looks at him too. So he'd kicked off his skates and run with only a pair of thick socks between him and the freezing ground, probably scaring the hell out of Ozpin as he caught up by the frog statues.

_Hey, uh. I have—I'd like—you know, it's the season of giving, so can I give you my number? Oh my fucking god, wait, forget I said that, can I start over?_

And Ozpin had said yes. Laughing, but yes. If not for that, they wouldn't be here now.

So it had to be the park.

\---

Fuck the park.

Qrow wanted the earth to just open up and swallow him whole. Or throw him into the sun. He wasn't all that picky. Seeing as mentally chanting _fuckmefuckmefuckme_ was doing absolutely nothing to start either process, he settled for apologizing again. “I'm really fucking sorry.”

“So you've said.” Ozpin smiled wryly as he tried to wring some of the water from his shirt. He stopped momentarily to wave at Ruby and Yang on the swan boat, both of them waving back with the kind of enthusiasm that was liable to take out some eyes. “It's not your fault.”

That was pretty generous considering it was completely his fault. He should have been watching Zwei. He should have been holding onto the leash or something. He should have stopped Tai from feeding Zwei fucking canine rocket fuel because a corgi pup shouldn't be able to tackle someone's legs out from under them and land them into ponds. That was not how corgis worked, damn it.

Ozpin turned back with a sigh that went shaky as a particularly strong breeze came through. Qrow shrugged off his jacket and threw it over Ozpin's shoulders, trying to zip it up despite laughing protests that his arms weren't even in the sleeves yet. Qrow waited until the struggling stopped and then pulled Ozpin closer in until they stood practically flush against each other.

“I'm sorry.”

“And you say I apologize too often.”

“I'll make it up to you.”

“I won't stop you,” Ozpin said, a smile in his voice, “but being knocked into three feet of water hardly warrants you needing to 'make it up' to me.”

Qrow shook his head. “I meant for all of it. Today. I promised you a day out and instead we're babysitting.” Not that it could be helped. Tai had been waiting months for this job interview. And Qrow, well—

_I'm sorry, Qrow, I know you've been trying to do this for months—_

_It's okay. There's gonna be other days._

“We're technically outside,” Ozpin pointed out, raising an eyebrow. “And you like babysitting.”

“And you?”

Ozpin took so long pretending to think about it that Qrow threatened to start zipping again. “I'm not against the idea. Though, if you feed your children the same thing you feed your dog, I suspect I'll end up in that pond quite a bit more.” He didn't sound like he minded all that much.

“Like I said, I'll make it up to you.” And he decided to get some of it in now, pulling Ozpin down for a quick kiss.

As it happened he did end up in the pond again not five minutes later, this time courtesy of Ruby and her unbridled excitement for the uncle who could magically produce cookies from his pockets. Fortunately, Qrow's jacket remained dry since Ruby had tackled Ozpin right out of it. He never did get his arms in the sleeves.

\---

Ozpin didn't come out of the pond alone.

Nearby, Yang had been carrying a head of lettuce, ripping pieces off and tossing them to a group of ducks as she slowly walked around the edge of the pond. Qrow was pretty sure this was the same group that had been trailing the side of the swan boat on Ruby's side as she'd flung her share of produce. By the time Yang made it to Qrow's side, she'd gathered a pretty good following, half of it waddling up to dry land just as Ozpin did.

“I don't know,” Qrow drawled in consideration as he stared at the contents of his backpack. “You think six heads of lettuce is enough?”

Ozpin rolled his eyes, swiping his hair back and trying in vain to pat the water out. “Don't start again. You said to bring 'duck food.'”

“You still haven't told me where you got them all. There's no market near your place and it's like a direct line down here.”

“Peter.”

Qrow did not miss the way he said it ever so slightly panicked. “He just gave them to you? No questions?”

Ozpin coughed and Qrow, thinking he was cold, tossed him the jacket. He almost missed the muttered, “Spare key.”

It took a hot minute for Qrow to put it together. When he did, he was momentarily rendered speechless, touched by the thought that Ozpin had sort of committed the stupidest fucking crime ever for him and his kids. And also: “Is it weird,” Qrow said steadily, “that I find the idea of you jacking lettuce outta some guy's fridge kinda hot?”

The flush on Ozpin's face was brilliant.

\---

It had been a little hard going keeping Ruby occupied with the ducks while Ozpin bolted up to Beacon to the cookie truck, but it had been worth it to see the kids completely light up when Ozpin did his usual fancy hand waving and brought out two small packets of cookies as promised.

“Did you save any for us?” Qrow asked when the girls were out of earshot. They were making noble efforts in multitasking, trying to eat their cookies and feed the ducks at the same time.

In answer, Ozpin reached for one of the backpack's side pockets and produced another packet.

Qrow gasped appropriately, then laughed as he ducked away from Ozpin's swat. “They'd like you even if you didn't spoil them, you know.” Because this was important to Qrow. It sort of broke his heart that Ozpin seemed to think the kids liked him only because they believed he was some kind of wizard that conjured sweets.

“I don't spoil her,” Ozpin said, predictably sidestepping the point. But Qrow let him.

They'd get there.

\---

Qrow was in the middle of cleaning out the backpack of carefully hidden wrappers from candy bars he definitely hadn't bought— _fucking resourceful brats_ —when a pair of high-pitched squeals caught his attention.

Ruby and Yang had cheerfully latched onto Ozpin's arms like an octopus and he was swinging them obligingly, his expression serene as they filled the air around him with laughter. He looked up and caught Qrow's eye, giving him a wry smile before he started turning in slow circles, eliciting more laughter.

Qrow turned the velvet box in his pocket over and over as he watched the light from the sunset catch in Ozpin's hair, briefly tinting it gold.

\---

“Bribery for your thoughts?” Qrow said through the bribe itself. He couldn't see Ozpin through the wall of brightly-colored balloons, but he could hear him laughing. “Also, if you make an airhead joke I will take all of these with me.”

“Anything but that,” Ozpin said. Qrow felt Ozpin's fingers brush over his hand and let him take the tangle of knots. He raised the balloons over his head, tilting his head curiously at Qrow. “What's the occasion?”

Qrow smoothed a hand over his pocket and took a calming breath as he pressed lightly against the box. “Nothing. I thought since the girls get balloons for not destroying shit and the dog gets a balloon because it's cute, you should get some too.”

“For breaking and entering to steal produce?”

“Yeah, sure.” He tugged the balloons down to the side. Between the multicolored wall of bobbing rubber and the beech tree, it was as private as they were going to get and that was good enough for Qrow. “But also for being here.” _With me._ “Listen, there's something I—“

“Uncle Qrow, we can still see you,” Yang piped up from somewhere behind Ozpin.

“Yeah, you guys aren't a secret,” Ruby loudly whispered from the bench behind Qrow.

“For fuck's sake—“ Qrow leaned in to kiss him, drawn and slow, because he could still have this even if he couldn't get the words out. Or at least that was the plan. But Qrow felt Ozpin smiling against his lips and knew he was gone, trembling with quiet laughter at the girls' overly dramatic wailing. He couldn't even find it in himself to be disgruntled, not when he was half wrapped up in a cocoon of balloons, surrounded by the people most important to him.

Ozpin shifted to lean his forehead against Qrow's. “I'll make it up to you.”

Qrow laughed and took his hand.

 

-


End file.
